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Iraqi Drama Catches U.S. Off Guard (Senior U.S. Off.: Makes you want to kill yourself)
The Wall Street Journal ^ | Thursday, June 12, 2014 | Adam Entous and Julian E. Barnes

Posted on 06/12/2014 6:30:34 AM PDT by kristinn

At a closed-door gathering of Gulf states in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in May, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and his Arab counterparts all signaled agreement on one thing for the first time: Islamist forces seizing territory in Syria and Iraq had become a regionwide menace that can't be ignored.

What they didn't agree on was what to do about it, U.S. officials said.The fall this week of the Iraqi cities Mosul and Tikrit to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham rebel group shows how the insurgent threat is outpacing the response and posing a challenge to President Barack Obama's approach of limiting U.S. involvement in foreign conflicts.

The quickly unfolding drama prompted a White House meeting Wednesday of top policy makers and military leaders who were caught off guard by the swift collapse of Iraqi security forces, officials acknowledged.

State Department and Pentagon officials have long warned about ISIS's desire to create an Islamic state based in the Sunni-dominated parts of Iraq and Syria.

Now, current and former officials say Washington's options for helping the Iraqi army fight back are limited—both because the threat in Iraq is so entrenched and because the U.S. hasn't invested in building up moderate allies on the Syrian side of the border.

SNIP

Some military officials now believe ISIS is the single greatest terrorist threat the U.S. and its allies face—stronger than the al Qaeda affiliates in Yemen or Africa and far more powerful than al Qaeda's central leadership in Pakistan. Other senior U.S. officials say ISIS has yet to carry out any attacks directly targeting the U.S.

"It makes you want to kill yourself," a senior U.S. official said of the intelligence on ISIS, which was presented by U.S. and Gulf allies during the May meeting in Jeddah.

(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...


TOPICS: Breaking News; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: alqaeda; bho44; bhogwot; bhosecdef; iraq; iraqmeltdown; isil; isis; leadingfrombehind; mosul; obama; secdefhagel
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To: kristinn

‘(Senior U.S. Off.: Makes you want to kill yourself)’

He should take his own advise and fall on his sword.

The Big Zero is trying to take us out of foreign entanglements? First I have heard of it and I am quite sure that Jews and Christians in the Middle East would have a very different view.

I am glad that he thinks we are stupid and not that we are too spineless to call him out on his lies.


81 posted on 06/12/2014 11:37:37 AM PDT by Foundahardheadedwoman (God don't have a statute of limitations)
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To: kristinn

Photo on Drudge of the insurgents driving OUR BEIGE TANKS AND HUMVEES disgusting.


82 posted on 06/12/2014 11:46:29 AM PDT by floriduh voter (ERIC CANTOR, buh bye!)
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To: dfwgator
Where's Shazam?

Apparently, he's leading the insurgent effort – Shazam al-Sham & the Rebels

83 posted on 06/12/2014 11:47:12 AM PDT by mikrofon (Obama Fail BUMP)
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To: R_Kangel
Repeat after me, Mujahedeen – 'Buenos Dias, Senor.'
84 posted on 06/12/2014 11:54:13 AM PDT by mikrofon (Obama Fail BUMP)
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To: F15Eagle

Sadly that graphic is perfect for this thread. I wish it weren’t :-(


85 posted on 06/12/2014 12:02:56 PM PDT by leapfrog0202 ("the American presidency is not supposed to be a journey of personal discovery" Sarah Palin)
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To: Grampa Dave

Why do you think Obama was "pumping iron" in Germany the other day? He knew the job was about to get really hard. /sarc

86 posted on 06/12/2014 12:26:21 PM PDT by anymouse (God didn't write this sitcom we call life, he's just the critic.)
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To: anymouse
But don't worry, the Republicans have a Bush ready to step up to the challenge. ;)


87 posted on 06/12/2014 12:30:28 PM PDT by anymouse (God didn't write this sitcom we call life, he's just the critic.)
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Comment #88 Removed by Moderator

To: kristinn
The quickly unfolding drama prompted a White House meeting Wednesday of top policy makers and military leaders who were caught off guard by the swift collapse of Iraqi security forces, officials acknowledged.

Perhaps military leaders were caught off guard by this mess, but Obama, Jarrett, Clinton and their minions in the State Dept. are the architects of this disaster. I doubt they care very much about any of this.

89 posted on 06/12/2014 12:57:35 PM PDT by Major Matt Mason ("Journalism is dead. All news is suspect." - Noamie)
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To: blueunicorn6

>>Then why in the world are we spending such big bucks for our intelligence organizations?<<

My belief is that the IT data goes to our major banks and large corporations so they have a head start on foreign corporations and foreign governments. The data tells them what to expect in the way of foreign market potential.


90 posted on 06/12/2014 1:04:25 PM PDT by B4Ranch (Name your illness, do a Google & YouTube search with "hydrogen peroxide". Do it and be surprised.)
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To: dfwgator
In hindsight, it was better to leave Saddam in charge.

Yes, it was. And Mubarak and Gaddafi and Assad, too. Sure, they were a$$holes. But they kept the psychotic muzzies in line. Not only that, in their regimes churches, and yes, even synagogues, were open and relatively safe places to worship.

In all of these countries, the Christian and Jewish religious minorities have been or are being exterminated.

91 posted on 06/12/2014 1:07:45 PM PDT by henkster (Do I really need a sarcasm tag?)
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To: kristinn

Iran is the problem, has been for decades. Iraq is 60 percent shittite, Iran is 90. The Leading Ayatollah for Iraq, Sistani, was born in IRAN.

When we allowed Iraq to mandate in their Constitution that “NO LAW SHALL CONTRADICT ISLAM” our troops were from that point on fighting FOR IRAN, while being attacked by them too.

But since OUR Leader decided to proclaim ISLAM IS A RELIGION OF PEACE...well it was Nam redux. And now that our troops have left....so has the peace and the money.

Will Iraq ask Iran for help. Is Iran supporting the Caliphate Forces? Is Iraq in an Iranian sandwich? Is this Caliphate Advance a Sunni controlled Force? If it is, then we could see problems for Iran and tremendous bloodshed for Iraq and to a lesser extent Iran.


92 posted on 06/12/2014 1:34:09 PM PDT by TomasUSMC (FIGHT LIKE WW2, WIN LIKE WW2. FIGHT LIKE NAM, FINISH LIKE NAM.)
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To: Redplum

Yep


93 posted on 06/12/2014 1:34:25 PM PDT by ecomcon
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To: skams19
If ignorance was a valid defense for dereliction of duty as the US President, Obama would score 5 stars.
94 posted on 06/12/2014 1:36:18 PM PDT by Sam Gamgee (May God have mercy upon my enemies, because I won't. - Patton)
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To: dfwgator

Right. Too busy looking into “us”.


95 posted on 06/12/2014 2:30:49 PM PDT by Rick66 (Allah hates me, the feeling is mutual.)
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To: kristinn
no, not MYSELF...
96 posted on 06/12/2014 2:37:22 PM PDT by Chode (Stand UP and Be Counted, or line up and be numbered - *DTOM* -vvv- NO Pity for the LAZY - 86-44)
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To: F15Eagle

There is a standing wall to his right. He aint done yet.


97 posted on 06/12/2014 2:37:48 PM PDT by Norm Lenhart (How's that 'lesser evil' workin' out for ya?)
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To: Netz

The core of this is that the planet has a liberal problem.

fins a closet, put them back in it where they were for most of history and the problems reduce drastically. Not entirely, but drastically.

Because with no liberals in power, sane people can deal with anything.


98 posted on 06/12/2014 2:43:11 PM PDT by Norm Lenhart (How's that 'lesser evil' workin' out for ya?)
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To: dfwgator

But they can tell you what Freepers had for breakfast.


99 posted on 06/12/2014 2:58:21 PM PDT by ilovesarah2012
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To: hal ogen

He did...Good thing I hadn’t had dinner yet or I would have lost it.

What a crew...Hagel, Kerry, Hillary, Valerie Jarett..and then of course, the Administrations’ frat boys..”DUUUDE!”


100 posted on 06/12/2014 3:10:21 PM PDT by Recovering Ex-hippie
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